February 3, 2008 FOURTH SUNDAY OF THE CHURCH YEAR
3 FEBRUARY 2008, 5:15, 8:00, 10:30
READINGS: Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13; I Corinthians 1:26-31; Matthew 5:1-12
SAINT MARY PARISH, VIROQUA
Introduction: The Beatitudes in Matthew’s gospel are among the most famous and beloved texts in the Bible. James Lowell wished Christ had added one more, "Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they will never cease to be amused.”
1. Overall, of course, the beatitudes lay out for us the virtues desirable in the disciples of Jesus. To be poor in spirit means to know of our dependency on God. More! To be sorrowing means that we can identify with the hurts of other people; to be single-hearted means to see everything through the eyes of our faith. Arthur Ashe, the great tennis player, once commented on generosity. “From what we get, we make a living. From what we give we make a life.” These and other virtues are at the heart of the beatitudes.
We acknowledge, of course, the primacy of love. As someone said, “The spinal cord of the Beatitudes is love. This is our love of God as well as belief in His love for us. But also it includes love of neighbor.”
2. C. S. Lewis wrote, “Do not waste time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will probably come to love him.”
And, we should love our neighbors even when we cannot really see the source of their goodness, their lovability! “When the tulip has grown, one can admire its beauty; but that admiration is not love. He who feels the beauty of the tulip while it is still in the bulb covered by snow has love for the tulip. So also does one human being have love for his fellow when he affirms the seed of potentiality within, even while it is covered over by the snows of emotional disturbance and stress.” (Ira Progoff)
3. Many people lead loving lives. Sister Mary Cleophas taught high school and college math for fifty years. She made math comprehensible for even the most reluctant students. When she could no longer teach, Sister found another ministry. She organized a group of people to collect day-old bread from a bakery and distribute it to the poor. When even this work became too much for Sister, she retired to her provincial house. One day, a younger nun was walking quickly down the hall and passed Sister Cleophas shuffling along with her cane, her body bent from osteoporosis. Despite her frailty, the old nun greeted the young one as she sped by. When the young nun reached the end of the hall she stopped, returned to the bent figure and said, “Sister Cleophas, I want you to know how much your smile means to me.” Without a trace of self-pity, Sister Cleophas said, “My smile is all I have left to give.”
Conclusion: So, there we are, back where we started from. I think Sister Cleophas could laugh at herself. We too should strive to live all NINE beatitudes!